Beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Gastonia Christmas tree celebrates its fifth year of offering 'choose and cut' trees.

Amanda Memrick

Rows of Christmas trees line rolling hills of Stowe Dairy Farms south of Gastonia.

Leyland cypress, Carolina sapphire, red cedar and white pines stand ready to be cut and taken home as Stowe Dairy Farms marks its fifth year as a Christmas tree farm, the only “choose and cut” Christmas tree farm in Gaston County.

Beginning the day after Thanksgiving, families can come down to the farm and choose a Christmas tree from the field or take home a Fraser fir from the mountains.

A shop offers visitors sorghum cookies, popcorn ball and the chance to make an ornament or create a Christmas card to send to the Ronald McDonald House in either Charlotte or Durham. A tent will feature handmade wreaths, swags and mailbox toppers.

A hayride gives the chance to see the layout of the farm that began in the 1920s. A fire pit provides a place to roast marshmallows. Visitors can step inside the milk barn to see how the farm would have operated when it was a working dairy.

Saint Nick will arrive on the farm Dec. 1 and pose for pictures in the Christmas chair Santa used for portraits at Gaston Mall. Santa’s visit will bring photographers to capture Christmas photos, local musicians, Christmas carols and a Christmas tree dedication.

Grass-fed beef and eggs from the farm will be available for purchase along with hand carved wooden ornament by David Chambers and stained glass works by Christopher Mills.

“I think our challenge is in the middle of all this, we’re still an operating farm,” said Stowe Dairy Farm co-operator Gwen Stowe.

Tim Stowe replants Christmas trees in January and February. He trims trees in April, May and June. The trees are trimmed gain in July and August. In the fall, Tim and Gwen Stowe begin planning what they’ll offer during the Christmas season.

“As a Christmas tree farm, it’s really a year-round event,” Tim Stowe said. “And I enjoy the sculpting part of it, the artistic part of it.”

Christmas trees don’t grow in a perfect triangle naturally, he said.

Gwen and Tim Stowe said they want to provide a place for people to escape from the hustle of everyday life and learn about the heritage of the farm. Tim Stowe’s grandfather and father started the farm in 1926. Tim and Gwen Stowe are the third generation to operate the farm.

“My granddad and my dad, they did a good job to keep the farm intact,” Tim Stowe said. “We want to keep it for generations to come.”

You can reach reporter Amanda Memrick at 704-869-1839 or follow @AmandaMemrick on Twitter.

Want to go to Stowe Dairy Farms for a Christmas tree?

Stowe Dairy Farms is at 169 Stowe Dairy Road, Gastonia.

The Christmas season kicks off from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday with Christmas activities.

Stowe Dairy Farms will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with activities each Saturday.

Santa comes to the farm from 4 to 6 p.m. Dec. 1. People can pose for pictures with Santa, hear music from local talent and watch a Christmas tree dedication.

For more information or to set up an appointment, call 704-228-9826.

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